Be prepared for a (speed)boat ride if you're in the mood for a real island adventure. Check travel agencies near (or at) your hotel for day trips on and off Koh Samui. Popular activities include diving, snorkeling and deep-sea fishing, so you're bound to have plenty of excitement while getting wet.

Snorkeling at Koh Tao and Koh Nang-yuan

Colorful fish seen while snorkeling in Koh Tao and Koh Nang Yuan (photo by Justin Holt)

I'd never tried snorkeling before (that vague fear of death by drowning might have had something to do with it), but nonetheless we booked a day trip with Lomprayah Tours to try it out. We were picked up at 7:30 a.m. from our hotel and received a light breakfast (toast and coffee) at the Mae Nam pier before leaving for Koh Tao. This was our first knuckle-clenching experience with speedboats, and it helped prep us for later transit to the Full Moon Party. On the first trip in the choppy water, though, I wasn't grateful for such high speeds - I was absolutely drenched, shivering and worried about flying off the back of the boat if my grip slipped. It took an hour and a half to reach Koh Tao, and once there we disembarked to snorkel in a shallow cove where I was able to admire (and feed) the sea life. We then sped around the island to an open-air restaurant where they served tables of four with pots of vegetarian, chicken and curry dishes, complete with rice and melon for dessert.

Next was a stop at Koh Nang-yuan, an idyllic island preserve with clear blue waters perfect for fish spotting. I got a chance to study a plethora of sea creatures from the sinister, spiny sea urchins that clustered together on the ocean floor to the colorful anemones that snatched themselves into crevices when I wiggled my fingers too close. When we were done exploring the tidal pool, we took the speedboat back to the pier and arrived at our hotel at 5 p.m. The tour was 1600 baht per person, comparable to other rates, and I'd recommend it because the guides were competent and fun and the food and locations were quite enjoyable. For more information, visit Lomprayah high-speed catamaran at www.lomprayah.com.

Koh Phangan Full Moon Party

Partyers mill around on the beach at the Full Moon Party (July 2004) on Koh Phangan

This is the party for island-goers. Koh Phangan is 30-45 minutes north of Koh Samui by speedboat, and companies love to cash in on ferrying tourists back and forth for the monthly Full Moon parties. If you're planning to stay in Koh Phangan, come a few days before the party to make sure you get a room. This massive, moonlit rave on the beach draws crowds of 5,000-15,000 people, depending on the season. Tourists come for the cheap drinks, the most popular being the "bucket" - a plastic pail with a mixture of Mekong whiskey, Red Bull and soda. Each bucket comes with plenty of straws to help you share, and the energy drink will keep you awake until sunrise. Low tables and oriental rugs are spread across the beach, but be careful not to trip on sleeping or drunk partygoers as you walk through the makeshift aisles. If you get sick of drinking outdoors, head into one of the many clubs lining the beach to shake your booty to a nonstop mix of techno, house and rap. The lines to the bathrooms are insanely long, but some (male) tourists avoid this by using the ocean as a communal toilet. (Remember that when you have to wade from shore back to your speedboat!)

Speedboats leave the Full Moon Party at 1 a.m. and run until 8 a.m. If you're feeling sick, though, do your best to sober up before going back - our boat driver sped with such abandon that people were being thrown around the boat and the majority on board were screaming in terror. Instead of kissing the ground when we finally reached land, people were actually throwing up on the dock. Notes of caution: As with raves held in other locales, drugs are big during a Full Moon Party. Thailand has extremely stiff penalties for drug use and the police often set up checkpoints where all vehicles are subject to search. Those caught with drugs end up in jail or must pay exorbitant fines - about 50,000 baht ($1,250 U.S.) to avoid a small pot bust.

Questions?
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